Naked in Ashes: Documentary. Directed by Paula Fouce. (Not rated. 108 minutes. At the Lumiere, Act 1 & 2 in Berkeley and Rafael Film Center in San Rafael.)

The clash of ancient traditions and modern civilization is at the center of "Naked in Ashes," an inspirational and cautionary film that documents the hermetic lives of a handful of Indian yogis.

Covered in ashes that symbolize life's impermanence, the Hindu holy men, amid the chaos of their urban surroundings, stand out like ghosts from the past that they may soon become.

Director Paula Fouce (a Buddhist whose family has deep roots in Hollywood's past) doesn't hide her reverence for the yogis in her earnest documentary, which opens a window into a little-seen world of men who have given up almost everything in their lives to commune with their gods and carry out good deeds.

Many yogis live along the crowded banks of the Ganges River, where they wash away their sins and survive on charity. Their devotion is remarkable: One yogi has kept a fire alive for 12 years; another has stood for months on end, severely injuring his leg in the process. In the film's most beautiful images, yogis travel barefoot through snow in a pilgrimage to the mountains. (Stilted dubbing of the yogis is a weak point of the documentary.)

Shiv Raj Giri, an aging yogi at the heart of the film, speaks sagely about how we must protect the environment and better our welfare. "These days, things are out of balance," he says. "We are lost in this ocean of miseries."